The Struggle to Return Home
by AisaShigara
Summary: Kuwata is undercover shinobi working hard to match her brother and protect him. However, as she grows older she must work even harder to keep her existence a secret from Naruto and protect him from Akatsuki as well as the nagging question of what will she do when it is all over? Eventually Kiba x OC.
1. Chapter 1: The Mission

**A/N:** Hello everyone, so this is my first Naruto fanfic that I've posted in a long time (I deleted all my others). This story has been lying in wait for awhile and I wanted to wait until I had completed it to post it on here but I haven't exactly moved from where I stopped last so I thought posting this might motivate me into working on it so here you go! Hope you enjoy and please leave any comments to help me improve my writing. Thanks for the support! :D

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><p>One year after the Uchiha massacre, a young shinobi walks through the silent, peaceful village of Konohagakure. It is early morning, the fiery red head carries a back pack, as she appears to be leaving on a mission as she walks toward the Hokage's mansion. As she walks she stares up at the black sky, her mouth moves as she counts the stars surrounding the white, bright moon. The girl seems to be around the age nine or ten yet she wears the standard jonin uniform of the village.<p>

Upon arriving at the mansion she is greeted by an ANBU member, who she seems to be quite friendly with, after a short conversation about their lives since their last meeting the ANBU leads the girl into the mansion. They walk in silence as they walk down the many halls up the old stairs of the mansion until the come to a large door with the kanji for Hokage written on it. The ANBU knocks on the door, a deep, gruff voice sounding from the other side, signaling the girl to enter.

She entered the office alone, the ANBU closing the door behind her before leaving the mansion to return to ANBU HQ, "Hokage-Sama, I apologize for waking you" the young girl bowed to the old man and village leader.

The man scrutinized the young girl before replying to her apology, "Do not apologize, Kuwata. You would not wake me if not for something important, what bothers you, child?" he asked the young girl as he removed his hat and placed it on his desk, folding his hands on his lap; prepared to listen to the young girls request.

"Thank you, sir. I wish to ask you to allow me to infiltrate Akatsuki as a spy for Konoha. Recently, in my bouts with ANBU I've come to notice their growing interest in the tailed beast. I wish to protect my brother, I cannot protect him from the life of a jinchuuriki but I can protect him from the Akatsuki as a shinobi of Konoha. Please, allow me this, Hokage-Sama!" the young exclaimed kneeling to the man to express her feelings of want to protect the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

"You love Naruto so much, he is lucky to have such a wonderful twin" the Hokage smiled at her before standing and looking out the window at the village, gathering his thoughts to make a decision, "You have my blessing, you may seek out the Akatsuki and attempt to infiltrate the organization. However, if you fail you will return to the village, you've one chance, Kuwata, don't throw it away" he told the young girl as he turned back to see her still kneeling.

"Yes, sir!" she exclaimed a smile on her face as she stood and bowed once again, waiting to be dismissed from his presence.

"The next time I see you, you better be alive" he told the young girl, "You may go" he dismissed the girl, a large grin on her face as she left the office quietly.

"Those two are so alike sometimes, it is almost scary" Sarutobi thought as he watched the nine year old head for the village gate, her "mission" paperwork in hand, "She'll definitely succeed, it will be a long time until I next see her for sure" he voiced as he turned and went to exit the dark office, returning to bed.

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><p>It had been three months since I'd left the village and I'd finally found the Akatsuki's lair. In the past months I'd managed to master dojutsu, Fukusei gijutsu, and the kinjutsu I'd been studying before I left Konoha. I jumped down from the branch I was perched on in front of the waterfall which concealed the entrance to the cave the Akatsuki's HQ resided in, I walked out onto the water before passing through the fall and into the cave.<p>

The cave was quite dreary and damp, just as I expected it to be, I continued to walk farther into the cave until I came to a large steel door that had a complicated chakra lock on it. I couldn't help but smirk as I stepped closer to the door and unlocked it within seconds. I entered the doorway and noticed the change in my surroundings, the steel walls, which held in sound were covered by sheet rock to make it more home like, and the floors were wood. I threw this thought to the side as I picked up on the eight presences gathered in a large cavern farther in the hideout. I continued down the long hall until I came to another steel door, the members all seemed to be gathered there for a meeting.

"I guess I came at a good time, they're all gathered together" I thought as I silently opened the door and entered lions' den.

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><p>All eight members of the Akatsuki were gathered in the naturally formed cavern of their hideout to discuss each teams' next mission. They all stood on the finger of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path which matched the finger they wore their ring on. It was the usual casual kind of meeting they always had, where some members lounged on the statue's fingers while others argued or complained about their partner or mission. At the moment, Kakuzu was on the verge of going into a rage because of his partner's idiocy. Kakuzu's rage is suddenly stopped when the door to the room opens and a young girl enters.<p>

The young girl wore the normal shinobi garb of Konohagakure, her black headband tied around her neck had a slash through it, showing her defection from the village, and bandages wrapped around her head covering her eyes. The eight members stared at her, surprised by her presence in the lair. It seemed like time was frozen for several moments as the steel door shut and she stood there while the Akatsuki stared at her. Time began to move once again when the orange haired, piercing covered leader, Pein, jumped down from the statue's right thumb.

"What are you doing here, little girl?" he demanded of her as they stood several meters away from each other.

The girl's face tilted downward from the statue at the sound of the voice, as she seemed to finally face the man, her face remained calm as she seemed to analyze her new surroundings, "I wish to join Akatsuki" was her simple reply to his question.

Several of the members snickered at the young girl, "We do not need a little girl within our ranks, you should have stayed home" he told her as he raised his hand to call upon one of the members.

"How would you know such a thing when you know nothing of skills? You would be stupid turn me back to my village, I hold knowledge that no one else knows about you all: I know of your secret lair, I've assessed all of your members already, I know your chakra, and I do believe I've figured out your plan. I'm sure you'll kill me but, be warned though I am a child, I am not weak" she asked the leader of the Akatsuki.

The man examined her with his lavender eyes before turning back to the statue, "Is that you want, a chance?" he asked her as he jumped back up onto the thumb of the statue, "Itachi, Kisame, show this girl what it takes to be an Akatsuki member" Pein told the partners as he sat down on the statue's thumb to watch the impending battle.

The tall Kirigakure shinobi and Uchiha nodded to their leader before leaping off of their perches and landing a few meters away from the girl, she turns head slightly toward each of them, determining their location within the room.

"If you are a true Akatsuki member, you can defeat the two of them even though you are blind and a child. They won't hesitate to kill you" Pein told the young girl as Kisame stepped back gaining his partners attention.

"I think you should take her, after all you're both from the same village" Kisame said as he folded his arms across his chest.

Itachi merely blinked at the man before turning back to the girl, and without hesitation used Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu on the girl at such great a speed most jonin would be capable of avoiding it. But in the second it took him to do the hand seals the girl reached for the bandages wrapped around her head and pulled them away. The fireball disintegrated just as quickly as it formed leaving behind a crater and ash in the air clouding the room.

As the ash settled and the girl was once again visible, she stood in the same spot she had earlier, the bandages in her hand and a Sharingan. They stared at her in amazement, having pinned her as blind and the Uchiha clan wiped out. She dropped the bandages before charging at the black haired male. Still in shock and overwhelmed by her speed, Itachi is knocked back into his partner by the girl. She stands up straight as the two regain their composure and stand.

"If that is the power of an Akatsuki member maybe I should return to Konohagakure" the girl stated as Itachi stepped forward once again. She narrowed her eyes at him before disappearing and reappearing behind the Uchiha and roundhouse kicking him in the chest and sending him flying toward one of the cavern walls before she disappeared once again and punched him up into the air before kicking him into the ground and leaving a deep crater.

She landed a few meters away and turned her Sharingan gone and replaced with a Rinnegan. Kisame pulled Samehada from his back preparing to engage the girl, throwing her eyes to the side not interested in her dojutsu.

She looked up at Pein as if mocking him, "Who's the next member I need to beat?" the young girl asked as Kisame charged at her. She turned her attention to the Kiri shinobi and flipped over him, grabbing the hilt of the sword and breaking the large hand holding it while stealing it. She landed gracefully behind him pressing the tip of the blade to his back.

She turned suddenly clashing kunai with Itachi, "Stop, Itachi, Kisame" Pein demanded of the two Akatsuki members, they turned to him and they relaxed lowering any weapons they had pointed at the girl, "You've proven your worth quite well, you won't become a member of the group, you're much too young, but you will become an underling under one of the teams until you prove that we can truly trust you" Pein was now standing as the partners returned to their perches. The two Rinnegan possessors staring each other in the eye, as if daring the other to make a move.

"What is your name, girl?" the Akatsuki leader asked the small girl.

"Uzumaki, Kuwata."

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><p>Okay so...short chapter...The next one is a bit longer let me know if guys like long or short chapters, I prefer long ones but I don't want to overwhelm any of my readers. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: The Akatsuki

**A/N: **Okay, so a good bit of this story will follow the anime so if you don't like reading stories that follow the manga or anime plot line then you might want to look elsewhere or come back when I get past the Fourth Shinobi War cause it is pretty aligned with the anime and manga until then. As for everyone else, enjoy the story and thank you for reading!

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><p>The large boulder rose as the two Akatsuki members stood on the water in front of the secret hideout tucked away in the Land of Rivers. The two enter, the shadow of their leader standing at the edge of the water at the entrance of the cavern, "You're late. We must get ready at once" Pein said turning to them as they stepped onto the rock of the interior of the cavern.<p>

"The jinchuuriki was more powerful than we expected" Deidara told Pein as the boulder lowered back down to seal the entrance of the cavern. The owl carrying Gaara released him from his tail lying the Kazekage on the ground in front of his two capturers before disappearing in a cloud. Pein turns around and faces the back cavern wall before performing the hand seals to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. The large statue seemed to groan as it rose out of the ground of the cavern. Sasori and Deidara watched as it rose, taking off their hats as it came to stand with in the cavern.

The cavern shook as it came into place and the statue seemed the screech like the beast it resembled, "Now, let everyone gather" Pein said as he formed the hand seal summoning the shadows of the other members of the organization, all but one. Sasori and Deidara, not noticing the missing member, leaped up onto their fingers on the statue.

Pein looked up at all the members, "All right, shall we begin" he said as he glanced over the group before finding the missing person, "Where is Kuwata?" he asked the group as he jumped up onto the right thumb of the statue.

"We saw her off a few days ago, she should have reached Sasori and Deidara the night they attacked Sunagakure, Leader-Sama" Kisame told the shadow of their leader.

"So she did not reach the two of you?" Pein asked the two successful Akatsuki.

"No, she hasn't shown herself. She was informed of the mission a month ago, she was to meet us at Suna but she did not show. I haven't sensed her chakra presence either" Sasori replied in his slow, gruff drawl as he glanced at the finger the girl should have been occupying.

"She disagrees with the withdrawal of bijuu from their jinchuuriki, she probably didn't use her space time jutsu to travel, she's being a slow bitch and traveling at a comfortable pace, that stubborn brat" Kisame stated, cursing the girl for her stubbornness.

"Forget her" Pein said as he released the chain from the statues mouth, "It will now take three days and nights, stay aware of your physical selves. Zetsu, have you physical body stand guard outside, use the one with the greatest range, understood?" Pein asked the plant like man, "And see if you can find Kuwata" he told him as he glanced at him.

"I know" Zetsu replied.

"Only three days?" Kisame tilted his head slightly, "Isn't it possible it might take longer than that since we don't have Orochimaru or Kuwata with us?" Kisame asked unsure of time for the jutsu.

"All the more means to get started at once" Pein told him as he looked at the shadow of the tall Kirigakure nin.

"That's true" Itachi commented, closing his Sharingan red eyes.

"Indeed" Kisame said excepting the statement and closing his eyes also, ready to concentrate.

"Sounds good to me" Deidara commented with a smirk, glad that the stubborn girl wasn't present.

All fell silent as they began the jutsu, each finger lighting up, the ring kanji visible within the center of each light. The blue dragons poured from the mouth of the statue as Pein initiated the jutsu completely. The nine dragons plowed into the ground picking up the jinchuuriki and began the extraction of the Sukaku.

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><p>I'd had awoken at sunrise this morning and I was once again traveling at nice pace on my way to the hideout, "They'll be done with the extraction soon" I thought as I looked up and spotted a group of shinobi in front of me, "They must be heading for the hideout" I thought as I sped up to slow them down a little bit.<p>

"I saw what they did to the substitute Itachi, they must be pretty good at what they do" I thought as I finally caught up, recognizing the old woman in the black robe as one of Suna's elders. I flipped over the group gaining their attention as I activated my Sharingan.

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><p>The Konoha shinobi looked up in surprise as the shinobi who had snuck up on them flipped over the group and landed on the branch Naruto was aiming for. Naruto withdrew a kunai from his pouch and jumped at the girl but only managed to clash kunai with red headed girl.<p>

The girl had a very unique look. Her hair was mostly a fiery red, except for the tips of her ponytail which were orange, the ponytail went to the backs of her knees, and the hair which hung down to her mid back which were a bright orange, and her bangs which were yellow, the pieces of hair above her eyes were clipped up out of her face by orange clips with a long piece hanging down her forehead and stopping at the tip of her nose, and two pieces of hair which framed her face were the same yellow color as Naruto's hair. She wore black tights and black standard shinobi sandels, a black quarter sleeve shirt and mask, which covers the lower half of her face, and on her left arm the Uzumaki clan symbol is embroidered on the shirt. Her headband, a Konohagakure headband, is tied to her forehead under her bangs. Her skin is the same tone as Naruto's but she is small and short, her head probably only reaching Naruto's shoulder. Her eyes narrow as she meets Naruto's gaze with her Sharingan.

Naruto's eyes widen at the sight of her eyes, but is pushed back by the masked girl as she gazes at the group in surprise also, recognizing the young man she had been attacked by and his silver haired sensei. She turned as if to run from them but suddenly disappeared.

"Space time jutsu" Kakashi mumbled as Naruto landed on a lower branch and looked for the girl.

"Where did she go?" Naruto yelled as they all came to a stop.

"She's gone" Sakura commented as she glanced around, "An Uchiha, I wonder if she knows Sasuke?"

"She's really weird looking for an Uchiha, don't you think Sakura?" Naruto asked his pink haired teammate.

"Yeah."

"She is not an Uchiha, you two, she has gained her Sharingan another way. She's from another clan. I haven't seen her since she left the village six years ago, she was assigned a mission though there hasn't been much contact from her recently" Kakashi told the two chunin as he gazed at the branch the girl had once occupied, "Let's keep moving" he said as he began travelling again.

"Yes" the two chunin nodded as they followed.

"So she's still working with the Akatsuki, so this is why she hasn't been contacting the village recently, she's being kept under wraps" Kakashi thought as Chiyo, Naruto, Sakura, and he continued on to rescue the Kazekage.

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><p>I entered the cave, the boulder shutting behind me, to see that they were still extracting the Shukaku. Pein glanced at me, it became a glare, I knew I was in trouble for my actions.<p>

"It's nice of you to finally show, Kuwata" Pein said drawing the attention of the other members to me as the iris of the Shukaku on the statue became visible.

"It is complete" Pein stated as Gaara's body fell to the caverns ground.

"Finally" Sasori stated as he looked at the corpse.

"So in the end it did take three full days and nights, un" Deidara commented as he looked at the body and closed his eyes once again.

I looked over the group as Kisame and Hidan complained about the jutsu's lengthy process, "Well done, good work everyone" Pein said, "Kuwata, next time you better not lag around, we would have finished yesterday had you been here to do your job" Pein scolded me.

"Yes, Leader-Sama" I said bowing so as not to anger him too much. I turned to look at the boulder as the Konoha ninja began to try and enter the cavern.

"It's getting noisy out there" Pein commented.

"It looks like we got ourselves some unexpected visitors" Kisame commented as he glanced at the entrance.

"But which crew is it now?" Deidara asked as he also looked at the entrance, "The one that my man, Kisame, was stalling or perhaps…" he was cut off by Zetsu.

"Both, it's both groups" Zetsu said confirming the presence of both of the Konoha teams.

"They both arrived at the same time, interesting" Kakuzu commented as I moved toward the body, inspecting it. I had hoped that maybe my brother's friend had survived but once next to him I knew he was not.

"What a pity, they're too late" I commented looking over my shoulder at the entrance.

"It seems one of them is also a jinchuuriki" Sasori stated laughing evilly, "Isn't he, Itachi" he turned to Itachi. The Uchiha just looked at him before he continued to laugh.

"Well, shouldn't we get this show on the road?" Hidan asked, "We got company outside to deal with and there is still the small matter of a mission we have to complete" he stated.

"Yes, let's get going" Zetsu said. I looked up at all of them as they began talking.

"What about the intruders?" Kakuzu asked.

"I wouldn't lose too much sleep over them, we don't even know if they can get in here" Kisame stated.

"Don't underestimate them, you should know better, Kisame" Itachi told the taller man.

Kisame laughed, "Well, they do have some strength, I'll give them that."

Pein glanced over the group before calling out, "Sasori, Deidra, Kuwata, take care of our new friends outside"

"I had a feeling you'd say that, hm" Deidara commented as he looked to the Akatsuki leader.

"But I want the jinchuuriki alive, don't let him escape. Kuwata, do you understand?" he glanced at me with his lavender eyes.

"Of course, Leader-Sama" I said standing, leaving the body on the floor.

"Understood" Sasori said.

"Everyone else is dismissed" Pein said dismissing the shadows of the Akatsuki members. I watched as each group faded from their assigned statue's finger.

"Itachi, this Kyuubi jinchuuriki, what is he like?" Sasori asked the Konoha nin before he and Kisame left.

Itachi glanced at me and then the entrance, "Go on, tell him" Pein demanded as he and Konan left.

"He's the one that bursts in and barks first" Itachi told Sasori.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Sasori asked him.

"Doesn't he have any identifying characteristics other than barking, hm?" Deidara asked giving the Uchiha an odd look, Itachi vanished and Deidara scoffed, "Guess not, huh, Kuwata?" Deidara stated sarcastically as he glanced at me.

"Heh, that's it then" Kisame stated before leaving also.

I knelt back down and pushed the red hair out of the eyes of the former jinchuuriki, "Naruto really liked this guy, I hate that he had to die" I thought as I touched the soft hair.

Deidara groaned, "What's taking them, un?" he looked up narrowing his eye pale blue eye at the boulder, "I wish they'd just hurry up and get in here" he commented as he Sasori came to stand next to me.

I glared up at the blonde for his impatience, "Sasori, what's the matter, my man, I thought you didn't like to be kept waiting, hm?" Deidara asked a slight laugh in his tone.

"Yes, I hate it" he said glaring at the entrance.

"So, Kuwata, where have you been? We heard about how you should have met us at Suna four nights ago" Deidara asked me smirking down at me.

"Shut up, don't ask questions you already know the answer to" I told him as I switched my Sharingan out for the byakugan.

"You shouldn't disrespect the dead like that Deidara" I told the blonde as he sat down on the corpse.

"It doesn't matter you anyway, now let's see which one is the jinchuuriki" he stated as I turned back to the entrance to see the boulder shatter as they broke through the barrier. They made sure the coast was clear before entering the cavern in twos. Their gasps made my blood run cold and my heart break, especially when I saw the look on Naruto's face as he saw the three of us. Sasori standing at Gaara's feet and Deidara sitting on his torso as I stood behind the two Akatsuki.

"We're too late" Kakashi commented.

"Finally, well then, which one of you would be the jinchuuriki?" Deidara asked.

Naruto growled at him as his eyes began to turn red, resembling the Kyuubi's, "Deidara" I commented pointing in Naruto's direction.

"You, you monsters, you're both gonna pay for this!" Naruto yelled as we looked at him.

"The one who bursts in and starts barking, that would be him, huh?" Sasori commented.

"Sasori, my man, I think you are correct" Deidara commented.

"You monsters, who do you think you're sitting on?" Naruto yelled.

"Come on, it's only a shell. This kids the jinchuuriki, he's the one who bursts in and barks first alright" Deidara commented turning to Sasori and me, "Seriously, Itachi was right on the money, huh, Kuwata" he stated as if he was trying to make a joke.

I glared at him before looking at Sasori, he was looking at his grandmother, Chiyo, "Gaara, what are you doing, Gaara, why are you just lying there?" Naruto yelled, I looked back at him, "Get up!"

"Gaara, answer me! Answer me" his voice cracked as if he was about to cry, "Come on, knock it off already!" Naruto yelled as he stepped forward.

"Enough, Naruto!" Kakashi told the angered blonde, "You know full well that…" Kakashi trailed off as he stepped back.

"Your friend's right, you know it too" Deidara told him, "He's nothing but a shell now" Deidara said slapping Gaara's face, to anger Naruto more.

"Deidara, stop it, you'll be cursed for disrespecting the dead like that" I glared at him.

"So be it, I'm not scarred of the dead" he turned to me.

"Well" Sasori commented as Naruto's anger increased and Kyuubi's chakra began to leak out.

"Oh, yeah, that's him alright, un" Deidara nodded as he turned back to Naruto.

"Give him back" Naruto growled, "Give Gaara back!" he yelled charging toward us only to be stopped by Kakashi as soon as he stepped onto the rock floor.

"Cool it, charge in without thinking and we're done for" Kakashi told him. Naruto growled at the fact but backed off at his command.

Sasori turned, he seemed disturbed by something, "What, something wrong, Sasori, my man?" Deidara asked noticing his uneasiness.

"I'll hold onto him" Sasori stated confusing Deidara slightly, "Since it seems that that jinchuuriki will stop at nothing to get him back" Sasori explained as we watched Naruto.

Deidara smilled as he looked at Gaara's face, "Yeah, that's putting it lightly" Deidara commented before turning back to the group.

Kakashi seemed to analyze us while it was quiet for a few moments but Deidara spoke once again, "Well, my man, I doubt that you want to hear this but I'll just go ahead and say it anyway" Deidara smiled, "I think I'll take care of the jinchuuriki, un" he laughed slightly with his statement.

Sasori glared at him, "Look, our quota is one these, don't push your luck, Deidara" he warned the bomber.

"I'll go with him" I told the puppet master.

Sasori glanced at me then back at Deidara, "An artist must always seek ever greater stimulation" he said before turning to Sasori, "Lest his senses go dull on him, my man" he stated before looking at his hand.

"Rumor has it the Kyuubi jinchuuriki is pretty powerful, a guy who is truly worthy of my artistry" Deidara commented looking back at Naruto.

"What, those pirate techniques of yours?" Sasori turned back to the shinobi, "Art is a work of beauty and left for posterity. Art is eternal beauty" he said turning back to the blonde.

"Are you kidding me?" Deidara scoffed, "Look don't get me wrong, as a fellow artist, I respect your point of view but true art is meaning, a flash of beauty burning brightly then vanishing in a heartbeat, un" Deidara stated.

"What did you say?" Sasori said looking at him.

"Now is not the time for the two of you to be arguing over art" I stated as they glared at each other.

"I don't get it, what is with them?" Sakura asked as the shinobi watched the two.

"Apparently, Deidara, one of us doesn't understand what true art is" Sasori commented.

"That would be you my friend" Deidara scoffed.

"Please, shut up" I growled as I pinched the bridge of my nose irritated with both of them.

"You lousy rotten…" Naruto began but was cut off by Sasori.

"Nonsense, eternal beauty is what counts as real art" Sasori growled.

"Don't be absurd. True art only last a moment" Deidara corrected him.

"Enough is enough" Naruto yelled as he charged throwing a large shuriken at Sasori but he blocked it with his scorpion tail.

"Are you trying to make me angry?" Sasori asked continuing his argument with Deidara, the Konoha shinobi stared shocked at him.

"Hey, easy. I told you you wouldn't want to hear it, didn't I?" Deidara said, "Give me a break, will ya?"

"You two, stop it, you can argue later" I told them but they ignored me.

"I don't have to remind you what happens when I get angry, do I?" Sasori asked pointing his tail at Deidara, "Why don't you explain it to me again, Deidara?" he asked the blonde as his tail moved up above his head.

Deidara stood, "Art is one thing and one thing only" he said as he finished chewing the clay he'd been working on since the Shinobi had arrived, "The explosion itself" he said throwing the clay bird in the air and enlarging it. Eradicating gasps from the Konoha ninja.

"It's not even in the same league as your grotesque puppet show" he commented as the bird picked up Gaara's corpse, I jumped onto its back.

"About damn time" I grumbled as I sat down toward the tail of the bird.

Sasori went to attack him with his tail, completely pissed with the blonde, but he jumped up as the bird flew up, landing on its back, "You two really need to stop that and get along."

"Oh, can it" he told me before looking down at Sasori, "See you around, my man" he said before looking forward as the bird swallowed Gaara as we began to fly out of the cavern, Deidara looking at Naruto until we got to the entrance. I watched as Naruto chased after us.

"Hey, you, where do you think you're going?" Naruto yelled as he exited the cavern. We flew in a circle teasing him as Kakashi joined him.

"Please, stop I think I'm going to be sick" I complained.

"Oh, don't be a drama queen, and let me show you what true art is, Kuwata, you might actually like" Deidara said smirking at me.

"As if" I scoffed as I watched the two shinobi as I traded the Byakugan for the Sharingan once again.

Deidara looked down at the two, "Great, he's tagging along" Deidara commented as glared at Kakashi.

I watched as Kakashi tried to contact the other team through radio, but failed, after giving up he reached up and moved his headband. His scarred left eye opened and revealed his own Sharingan.

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><p><strong>So much dialogue!<strong> I wish I could have more description than it does but with what I had to work with there was not much description to be given...The next chapter will be better...I promise! Night! :)


	3. Chapter 3: The Battle Continues

**A/N:** A little more description in this one I think well, I hope you are all enjoying the story so far. Ja Ne! C:

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><p>Deidara finally stopped flying in circles and hovered over the arch which Naruto and Kakashi stood on in front of the cavern entrance, "Thank god" I grumbled as Deidara glanced at me before turning to look at the two Konoha shinobi below.<p>

"Are you really sure you want to waste your time on me, un, Kakashi with the Sharingan? You know, my man, Sasori, is probably a more dangerous opponent than I am as much as I hate to say that" he told him with a smirk, "And my friend, Kuwata, her isn't one to exactly fight, she's just tagging along to make sure I don't die, she seems to have a weakness against you Konoha ninja" Deidara told them glancing at me, "She also is weak against jinchuuriki, she wants to be friends with them instead of shunning them or putting them out of their misery."

"Can it, will you? We don't have all day for you to talk about shit" I growled as I leaned back onto the tail of the bird.

"Sasori, his idea of art is very different from mine" Deidara stated as I peered into the cavern to see what was going on with the Suna elder and the Konoha girl, Haruno, Sakura, I think that is her name. I saw as they stood there before Sasori attacked them with poison needles, the ringing they made when flying through the air was quite loud to my sensitive ears though Kakashi and Naruto didn't seem to notice.

"Ah, it seems they've started" Deidara commented as he picked up on the sound also. Kakashi and Naruto turned their heads to look into the cavern momentarily, "How confident are you in the young girl and the old lady, you really think they're good enough to handle, my man, Sasori, un?" Deidara asked them drawing their attention back to him as we continued to hover over the shinobi.

"Go on, sensei, go to Sakura. I'll handle this" Naruto told Kakashi as Kakashi analyzed Deidara and his plan, "Go on, sensei, don't worry" Naruto told him clenching his fist, "I'll take care of it, I'll save Gaara!" he yelled before lunging at the large bird. Deidara laughed at his attempt to attack us and pulled away causing Naruto to crash into the rock wall above the river. Finishing with another clay bird, Deidara released it. It enlarged as Kakashi took action to help his student, throwing a shuriken at the bird as Deidara detonated it.

Kakashi jumped back away from the explosion connecting with the rock wall using his chakra, a shuriken shooting out of the explosion aimed at him but he blocked it, "Good, it would have been very disappointing if you'd been beaten that easily" Deidara commented as Naruto emerged from the hole he'd created in the rock wall.

"Let go of him, I'll never let you have him!" Naruto yelled at the blonde.

"Deidara, I think you're underestimating that jinchuuriki, maybe we should regroup with Sasori to deal with them. If the other group gets past Zetsu, they'll surely join in on the fight" I suggested to the blonde as I analyzed Naruto, I'd been watching over him and his training since he started at the Academy and he always seemed to do better than expected in the end.

"Don't be silly, you wouldn't help out anyways, so why does it matter to you?" he turned to look at me before returning his attention to the Konoha shinobi.

"It was just a suggestion."

"To date we've destroyed two jinchuuriki, not including him of course, but nobody ever tried to save them from us before. Not a single friend or neighbor, not a soul came to their aid, un, in fact, it seemed like most people were happy to finally be rid of them" Deidara chuckled at the end of his statement, "You can't forsake one of your own kind, can you? You feel connected to this pathetic creature, hmm, such a shame" Deidara commented as Naruto wiggled his way out of the rocks, angered by the blonde bomber's words, "Gaara ceased to exist when the Shukaku was extracted from him, very soon now the same thing will happen to you."

I watched intently as the rock under Naruto's left hand began to smoke from the intense chakra flow, "If Gaara's gone, you're gonna pay!" Naruto yelled as he wiggled the rest of the way out of the rocks due to his extreme anger with Deidara.

Finally out of his rock prison, Naruto and Kakashi returned to standing on the water looking up at the bird and the calf which hung from the bird's mouth, "I've had it, hand over Gaara right now!" Naruto yelled waving a fist at Deidara. Deidara smirked before the bird completely swallowed the fourth Kazekage before it turned and began to fly away.

"What are you planning, Deidara?" I asked him as I looked back at the two shinobi as Naruto began to run after us and Kakashi soon following.

He ignored me as he watched Naruto chase after us, "Still chasing me, un. You better catch up with me soon" he taunted the shinobi as he reached into his bag for more clay.

"Deidara, answer my question" I demanded of the bomber as we flew.

"I plan to capture him, of course, to help me in my quest for greater stimulation of my art sense. I really am lucky getting to take down two jinchuuriki" Deidara told me as he molded three clay birds in his hand and throwing them at Naruto and Kakashi. I watched as the first bird exploded, Naruto being encased in the smoke of the explosion. Kakashi threw a shuriken at the second as the third came for him.

We watched as the third clay bird exploded and the white haired ninja emerged from the smoke, "Well, he is the copy ninja, I guess a piece of detonating clay just won't cut it" Deidara stated as he reached into his bag, "I don't have a lot of clay left either" he started molding another bomb as we continued on, he turned to look back at our pursuing Konoha ninja, "All I was trying to do was lure out the jinchuuriki now I've got to deal with this" he stated as he glared at me and then Kakashi as if we were his biggest nuisances.

"Quit complaining, you big baby" I grumbled as I watched the two chase after us.

"All I want is the jinchuuriki, the copy ninja is just headache I don't need, I have to find a way to separate them" Deidara stated aloud his thoughts ignoring my grumbling. He released two spider bombs which clinged to the logs the shinobi were traveling on. Their target, Kakashi.

Though the explosive spiders proved to be useless in separating the two, Kakashi emerged from the smoke seconds after the two explosions, only slightly slowed by the attacks, "So much for strategy, huh, Deidara? Attacks like those aren't going to work on a possessor of the Sharingan" I commented as I saw Naruto smile, happy his sensei was alright.

"Shut it!" he yelled at my comment, "I guess my only option is taking the two down together" he stated giving up his plan to separate the two shinobi, he reached into his bag to see how much clay he had, "I don't have detonating clay, a shame really, if I'd knew I was going to end up in this predicament, I probably would have brought along a little extra, un, oh, well, I still have my trump card" Deidara stated as he sped up, "I wonder if they can match my speed?"

I watched as Naruto sped up, leaving Kakashi behind to keep up with us, "He can't be control by his superior anymore" I commented as Deidara stabilized the speed once again.

Deidara turned back at my comment, he wasn't happy with what he saw, "So annoying, this is taking so long I'll never get back to my man, Sasori" he commented at the sight of Kakashi still managing to keep up pretty well, "I know, I'll use the rest of my detonating clay and show him what a real artist can do" he stated before turning back forward, "However, if I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna have to get rid of the copy ninja first. It might have taken awhile but this is worth the wait" he stated throwing a handful of clay insects into the air.

I watched, moving to sit on the tail of the bird to get a better look, holding onto the large white dorsal fin like tail, as the insects spun through the air and onto the logs below, "Watch out, Kakashi" I whispered as the insects allowed Naruto by and chased after Kakashi. The large group of tiny insects seemed to stop Kakashi as Naruto continued to follow us, "Damn it, now what am I gonna do?" I thought as it seemed Deidara had separated the two shinobi.

I looked back at Deidara, to see if he'd heard me but I was brought back to Kakashi as I heard the large explosion behind us, "That takes care of him, un" Deidara smirked as he looked over his shoulder. He turned the bird and lowered down just above a log to face Naruto.

"At last, it's just the two of us, un" Deidara told Naruto, Naruto's scowl deepened as he clenched his muscles, angered by the bomber, "Oh, don't scowl like that, and here I was about to let you see your friend" Dei told him as the bird opened its mouth to reveal Gaara, "Oh, that's right, you're a jinchuuriki too. I bet seeing him like this drives you crazy" Deidara taunted. Naruto's eyes had long ago changed to that of the Kyuubi's but as Deidara continued to anger him, his fox like features became more defined. The Kyuubi's hatred taking advantage of Naruto's anger.

"Give him back, right now!" Naruto yelled as he went to lunge at us but was stopped by the still breathing Kakashi.

"Don't do it" Kakashi demanded of his student as Naruto turned to him in surprise.

"I told you those attacks wouldn't work, Deidara" I commented as the blonde bomber gasped at the sight of the white haired shinobi.

"Ah, man, I could've sworn you just bought it back there, hm" Deidara said annoyed with the ninja's presence.

Kakashi apologized before explaining what had happened back with the insects, Deidara gave one last glare before closing the birds mouth and flying up, "My man, Sasori, is going to yell at me again for not being prepared, what can I say planning out every little insignificant detail ahead of time just isn't my style, I prefer to stay flexible with unexpected situations developing that kind of sophisticated mind set is the mark of a true artist. Let's see, what to do now?" he said as he began to think.

I groaned at his idiotic going on about artistry, letting a slight sigh, glad Kakashi had made it through. We began to move forward again as Deidara seemed to come up with a plan, I looked down at Naruto and Kakashi as they followed, it seemed that they had a plan also.

"That hand seal" I thought as I watched Kakashi prepare for a jutsu, I turned and looked to Deidara, he wasn't paying any attention to the two, "I guess he'll get what is coming to him" I thought as Deidara turned around and looked at the two.

"What the…" he began but stopped at the sight of the hand seal, "What are they planning?" he questioned. I looked down as he lower his hands and his mangekyo sharingan was revealed.

"So he's developed that eye that far, huh?" I thought as I watched them speed up putting their plan into action. I noticed Naruto had calmed down so that his eye color had returned to normal.

"Here it comes" I thought as I turned to see Deidara being pulled into the jutsu. Unaffected by the jutsu I watched as Deidara's other arm was sucked into another dimension leaving him without his hands to mold clay.

"Damn it! Kuwata, what are you sitting there for, you can block that damn eye of his, can't you?" Deidara yelled as Kakashi continued after us.

"So he plans to decapitate him, huh? Smart idea" I thought as the bomber continued to yell at me, "Shut up, and fly straight, I won't let him kill you" I yelled back at the blonde.

"It's starting again!" he yelled as Kakashi targeted him once more, I activated my own mangekyo to counteract his, saving the Akatsuki bomber momentarily. We flew higher, shaking the copy ninja off, "Good, we shook him off" Deidara sighed in relief until he looked up in time to see we were being attacked by Naruto and his shadow clones with a Rasengan. Deidara jumped off in time to avoid the attack but the bird was demolished.

"Damn, Deidara, you're losing it" I commented as I evaded the bird and landed on a nearby tree branch. I sat and watched as Deidara fell to a lower branch and Naruto's shadow clones saved the falling bird's head containing the Kazkage. I looked down to see Kakashi's Sharingan revert back to its normal state as Naruto's shadow clones clawed at the bird's head to get to Gaara.

They finally broke through the clay head to reach the lifeless body of the Kazekage. I watched as Naruto's anger returned with the sight of his dead friend, "You will pay for this" he told Deidara who sat on a nearby tree branch, incapable of using anymore jutsu.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe someday I'll give you a rematch kid" Deidara told Naruto chuckling at the boy's anger.

"You've let down your guard" Kakashi commented as an angry Naruto appeared behind Deidara and punched him in the face sending the blonde flying.

"Idiot" I cursed heading down to help the idiot out.

I stopped when Naruto and his clones pinned him to the ground and wailed at the Akatsuki bomber's face before sending a Rasengan into his chest, however, it was only a clay clone. I gasped as the fox's chakra leaked out and began to form a fox like form around Naruto.

"Shit" I cursed retreating, I wasn't prepared to deal with my brother in a fight today, and neither was Deidara. He punched at the ground leaving a large hole as he jumped onto a nearby rock and searched for Deidara.

"The Kyuubi's cloak, Deidara definitely won't survive that" I stated as I jumped back onto a tree branch.

"So you know of it also, Kuwata" I turned to see Kakashi and the shadow clone that accompanied him, I deactivated my Sharingan after hypnotizing the clone into not attacking me and stood there.

"Yes, this is the second time I've seen it" I told him as I watched my brother as he grew a second tail and the clones doubled over in pain, "You better stop him before he kills us all" I told him before jumping up to a higher branch.

"Easier said than done" he commented as he jumped down to calm Naruto, he was, however, attacked by his student. I watched as Kakashi pulled a piece of paper from his bag.

"So that's Jiriaya's method of stopping it" I thought as Kakashi moved forward and placed it on Naruto's forehead and suppressing all of Naruto's chakra. The boy's body falling limp to the ground as the cloak dissipated but Kakashi caught him and sat him down gently on the grass nearby.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Kakashi asked his student as he looked around for danger and removing the paper from Naruto's head. Sakura and Chiyo soon arrived as Naruto caught his breath. They discussed the current condition of the mission, I turned away from them to see Deidara had been caught by the other group of Konoha shinobi. I watched as Deidara engaged in battle with the arriving group of ninja.

"He's getting pummeled by a bunch of chunin" I thought as I prepared to save his sorry ass withdrawing a kunai from my pouch. I followed as Deidara ran toward the beheaded bird's body and bit into it.

"I think it's about time I revealed my ultimate work of art, un" Deidara stated as he began to expand in size.

"Time to leave" I thought turning and using my time space jutsu to get far enough away from the upcoming explosion.

* * *

><p>"There you are, I've been waiting for you two to get here all night" I growled at the masked idiot and plant like Akatsuki member as I stood from leaning against the truck of a tree.<p>

"Where is Deidara?" Zetsu asked as he came to stand next to me.

"Beats the hell out of me" I told him as I leaned back on the tree and yawned.

"Well, what do you know?" Tobi said as he looked down at the ground his back to us, "Looks like Deidara is a goner too" Tobi stated as he knelt down next to the arm, "Some kind of explosion from the looks of it, don't you think so Mr. Zetsu?" Tobi asked Zetsu as we walked over to him.

He picked up the arm by the hand, "I suppose the rest of him is around here somewhere" Tobi laughed.

I scoffed at the idiot as Deidara emerged from the brush, "Get your hands off that you fool" Deidara told him panting as he rejoined us.

"Hey, he's alive" Tobi exclaimed as Deidara approached us.

"Where's the jinchuuriki?" Zetsu asked him as he stopped next to us.

"Don't look at me I did my job, hm" Deidara said narrowing his eyes at his comrade.

Tobi stood and faced us, "Dear, dear, you must have had a close shave, huh, Deidara?" Tobi asked the blonde with a laugh, "But you're in one piece, oops, sorry" the masked male chuckled as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Be careful, Tobi, you don't want to try my patience, make one more crack like that and it may as well be your last" Deidara told him as he glared at him.

"What's to decide? You'd just blow me up" Tobi laughed throwing his hands in the air as if he had no worries with the blonde having no hands or arms.

"There is the third time" Zetsu commented as Deidara lunged at the masked man and suffocated him with his legs.

"Suffocation!" the blonde yelled in anger as he squeezed the neck of the idiot as he wiggled to escape.

I sighed and looked away at, "Why the hell did I get stuck with you idiots, hopefully leader will put me back with Itachi and Kisame when we return" I whined as I began to head back to headquarters.

"What the hell are you complaining about, you didn't do shit, you just sat there on your lazy ass" Deidara yelled at me as he released Tobi and stood.

"Shut it, Deidara, or I'll do what that damn Konoha shinobi couldn't do" I growled at the man as I continued walking with Zetsu.

Deidara glared at me before letting out a growl of frustration and following behind us as we left behind Tobi, "Mr. Zetsu, Kuwata, wait for me!" Tobi yelled as he jumped up and ran after us.


End file.
